this post was submitted on 01 Feb 2025
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Late Stage Capitalism

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[–] Delta_V@lemmy.world 9 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

OP is not wrong, but both are important.

If the billionaires were not concerned by the potential threat to their existence posed by democracy, they would not feel so motivated to destroy it.

Democratic government is among the most powerful tools that can be wielded by the working class against the capitalists.

[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 2 points 4 hours ago

So, you think that the same people who couldn't be bothered to vote are suddenly going to organize themselves and go on strike? What makes you think this will happen?

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 50 points 23 hours ago (3 children)

We can't get people to vote. There's no way we're getting a general strike

[–] Dozzi92@lemmy.world 17 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

The cynic in me says there's a big overlap between the unemployed and the unrepresented, so to speak.

[–] Zirconium@lemmy.world 10 points 21 hours ago

There's a reason why for the longest time there was a lot of vagrancy (still are) and loitering laws. Was so that the unemployed and homeless couldnt have a voice without making themselves a target

[–] C126@sh.itjust.works 7 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

I tried organizing a board game night with 4 people. Literally impossible.

The most difficult part of every Dungeons and Dragons campaign is getting five working adults in the same room at the same time.

[–] rational_lib@lemmy.world 2 points 17 hours ago

Well the difference here is that during the election, people had a hard time getting angry at Republicans because they were wrongly* perceived as not being in power due to Biden's presidency. I doubt a general strike is likely as long as people feel comfortable and employed, but that could change and then I wouldn't be surprised if there's some serious tremors.

*Because Republicans in Congress blocked any new legislation and the Republican supreme court blocked whatever options were left over.

[–] MeatPilot@lemmy.world 36 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Same reason they freaked the fuck out when we all had to shelter at home because of COVID. Didn't last long because they needed meat for the grinder and forced a lot of back to work regardless of the risks.

[–] goferking0@lemmy.sdf.org 16 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

And only callex those essential workers heros while not doing anything that would actually help them. Like increasing pay or protections

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 7 points 20 hours ago

Ask any patient at a VA hospital. If the US calls you a hero, stop whatever you're doing and run away. Do not walk. Do not stop to help others. Get out of whatever situation they are calling you a hero for being in. They are doing that as a means of absolving themselves of responsibility towards you.

[–] ristoril_zip@lemmy.zip 83 points 1 day ago (3 children)

The owners would last 10 days, especially if the duration was announced ahead of time. Maybe a general strike that had no end date, once it went 3 months or so, would have the desired effect.

Going Luigi on a bunch of them would be faster, more effective, with stronger effects that lasted longer. Probably fewer total deaths.

[–] PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Exactly. They’d see 10 days and go “okay I can hunker down and outlast it.” But a general strike with no designated end? They’d capitulate after only a few days. Giving them a timeline only allows them to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Kidney stones don’t suck because they hurt; The pain is similar to a bad muscle cramp. Bad, but not unbearable. They suck so much because you don’t know how long they’re going to hurt for. It could be a day, it could be two weeks, it could be a month, and there’s no light at the end of the tunnel until you know it’s passed.

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 hours ago

nah. the guy luigi killed was replaced instantly. i don't think they even cancelled that meeting he was going to.

it was effective to give them a good scare and brought a little bit of class consciousness to the people but it fundamentally wont change things.

[–] ByteJunk@lemmy.world 41 points 1 day ago (1 children)

No, 10 days is way more than enough, it's even overkill.

If the full country, all workers, stopped for one (1) day, the billionaire elite would loose their shit.

Because they would instantly know that they lost control of the narrative, and that the people realized that it's them who have the elite by the balls, not the other way around, and they'd come begging to the table.

Americans aren't at that stage yet, but there's a chance that this cabinet and their incompetence will finally go too far and break the camels back.

[–] Shiggles@sh.itjust.works 17 points 1 day ago

I think their point is you can’t just commit for only 10 days. It might take less than 10 days, but if that’s your limit, they might try and tough it out.

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 11 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (2 children)

There aren’t enough Pinkertons and cops to make everyone go back to work.

[–] RubberElectrons@lemmy.world 4 points 17 hours ago

Even if there were, I'd refuse.

[–] Maiq@lemy.lol 30 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If we could wipe a few trillion dollars out of existence in a few days all the rich would freak the fuck out.

People like musk have so much invested in the market and live off those investments by borrowing against those investments. They pay a fraction of their taxes that way through capital gains being taxed at a lower rate. The 1% have so much invested and all they care about is money!

If we held out long enough someone might just push trump out a window.

People are fucked either way, might as well go out on your own terms. That and its our last option outside of armed revolution.

[–] sudo42@lemmy.world 6 points 23 hours ago

We can either take a week off from work now or die on a battlefield in Greenland.

[–] cAUzapNEAGLb@lemmy.world 41 points 1 day ago (7 children)

Be prepared! A general strike is scheduled for Mayday 2028, with UAW and CTU.

SAVE AND PLAN WHAT YOU CAN!

So that you can strike yourself, and so that you can help your neighbors, your coworkers, your comrades strike!

We've got 3 more years to prepare for ~10 critical days. If we are all serious about it and spread the word, and are truly prepared for the event, our demands and thus our conditions will improve greatly!

It is up to us.

Do we choose to accept the working situation we have become entangled in, or are we willing to sacrifice for something better?

[–] Xanthobilly@lemmy.world 27 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

In 2028. The fuck? Now, my person. Now!

[–] Objection@lemmy.ml 4 points 5 hours ago

Random people posting "General Strike Now!" on social media has been happening for years and nothing ever comes from it. A coordinated action like this, asking people to risk their jobs and go without pay for a period of time, is not going to happen overnight, especially when most people have zero experience with strikes. It's more important to take the time to do it right so that it has a higher chance of success than to rush into it. This is particularly important as this strike has the potential to serve as a "proof of concept" further down the line. Collective action is always an uphill battle, and for it to succeed requires careful planning, preparation, and patience.

[–] ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.zip 18 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Planning it for further out gives people opportunity to organize and save for missing 10+ days of paychecks. It does feel like if we wait that long though we'll be in a hopeless situation. Maybe organizing smaller general strikes like state or city wide in the meantime would help prepare and buy time for the big one

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[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 7 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

2028 is far too late. Climate, forced deportation, and widening inequality will have all of us so weak and poor we won't even survive the 10 days due to malnutrition.

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[–] apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world 25 points 1 day ago

Workers unite! A general strike is solidarity with everyone, except those delinquent bastards who do no work: Boards, CEOs and upper management.

[–] cannedtuna@lemmy.world 22 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Isn’t that part of what made the Occupy Movement so threatening to capitalists? The problem was however that it had no direction. The point was disruption, but there wasn’t a clear goal or demand till the end.

I’m all for memes, but what specifically would a general strike accomplish other than the governing class using every method, including police violence and fear, to immediately try to suppress the opposition?

In a society where the majority of people live paycheck to paycheck (by design) a 10 day strike will never happen. You’d be lucky to get 5% of the populace to participate.

[–] sudo42@lemmy.world 11 points 22 hours ago

Occupy refused to point out leaders knowing that Fox News would assassinate them in the media. Since they didn’t hand over leaders to assassinate, Fox News ginned up the story that the movement was directionless.

P.S. Please don’t “akually” about “Fox News” vs “The Media” in this context Its now a distinction without a difference. They’re all owned by the side winning the class war.

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 7 points 21 hours ago (3 children)

please make the libs understand because i cant for the life of me

[–] Ledivin@lemmy.world 0 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, let's take this message and sow division instead! Great work!

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 1 points 4 hours ago

what makes you think that?

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[–] loon@sh.itjust.works 6 points 23 hours ago

My strike started a year ago. No longer unemployed. I'm on hiatus and on strike. Work doesn't even seem worth it anymore.

[–] ShareMySims@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 1 day ago (5 children)

No, electoral politics won't ever get the job done, however we're also long past the point of a general strike being enough on its own.

Fascism has been here longer than people are comfortable to admit, but it is going in to full blast mode now, and the masks are well and truly off, those in power will not hesitate to use whatever force they need to to maintain it, and that requires full forced self defence in return, not playing nice (which is what a strike is).

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